Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the charges against Dayna Kristine Bell. This version contains the correct charges.

After 35 years of dog breeding, Dayna Kristine Bell said, accusations that she killed 16 dogs could put her out of business before she can prove her innocence.

Bell, 61, was charged with 16 animal cruelty-related felonies in Dakota County District Court. She is accused of drowning dogs and placing the bodies of dead dogs in a freezer at her farm in rural Northfield.

“There’s nothing worse than being blamed for something you didn’t do,” Bell said.

On Wednesday, April 18, Bell said she drowned four puppies from a premature litter in September. She said the mother had started biting two of the puppies’ legs off.

“The puppies were going to bleed to death and they were in pain,” Bell said. “I made an on-the-spot decision that putting them out of their misery was the best thing to do.”

Bell denied that she drowned other dogs and stored dog carcasses in the freezer. She also rebutted allegations by customers that she’s running a “puppy mill” at her business, Bell Kennels and Farm, at 3066 310th St. E. in Sciota Township in southern Dakota County.

“I’m a professional breeder,” Bell said.

According to online comments, some past customers said that the dogs they bought from Bell soon became sick from intestinal parasites and yeast infections in their ears, and that they were not socialized. Two customers made such reports to the Pioneer Press.

Mere Grebenc, 31, of Eagan said she bought a Shih Tzu from Bell nearly four years ago. Within a month, it became sick with worms and other parasites. Grebenc said she spent at least $2,000 on veterinary care for her dog’s illnesses in the first year and a half.

The dog wouldn’t eat and had to be placed on prescription food for three months, Grebenc said. And the dog’s fur was long, matted and dirty when she bought him.

“He just looked sad,” Grebenc said. “You could tell he hadn’t been socialized or anything when we got him. You couldn’t see his eyes because his hair was long and matted.”

Rebecca Siemers Barott, 29, of Minneapolis said that when she bought a “goldendoodle” from Bell, she had to wash the dog multiple times because it “stunk really bad.” She noticed other dogs on the farm that looked sick, and litters that were crowded in cages.

The Dakota County sheriff’s office searched Bell’s farm Sept. 29 – days after a former employee reported witnessing Bell drowning the four puppies in the litter, according to a criminal complaint against Bell. Two other employees also reported that she abused dogs.

At the property, deputies found about 160 dogs, said Sheriff Dave Bellows. They also found the carcasses of 10 small-breed adult dogs, each in a plastic bag, in a freezer chest, the complaint said. The carcasses appeared to have been placed in the freezer wet.

The three workers said they saw dead dogs in buckets of water. Two of the workers said they witnessed Bell drowning them. A third said that when he questioned Bell about the death, she said the week-old puppy was not doing well and she didn’t want it to suffer.

Keith Streff, senior humane agent at the Animal Humane Society of Golden Valley, said a professional breeder should know that drowning dogs is not the proper method to use when handling a sick dog. Streff said that in the past couple of years, he has received enough complaints about Bell Kennels “to put her on our radar.”

Bell became licensed with the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a dealer of dogs on Jan. 3, 2011, spokesman Dave Sacks said. The license allows Bell to buy dogs from breeders and sell them to retailers. The license requires that the business be inspected.

A USDA investigation of her business is under way.

Minnesota does not have laws regulating dog and cat breeders. And with the popularity of the Internet, fewer breeders are federally licensed because they can sell their animals online without retailers, Streff said.

Some are advocating for state regulations, too.

Lawmakers are considering legislation in the House and Senate that would require licenses for commercial dog and cat breeders. Inspections would be performed by the Board of Animal Health to ensure that animal care standards are met.

Breeders could be penalized for violations. Sen. Barb Goodwin, DFL-Columbia Heights, and Rep. John Lesch, DFL-St. Paul, are authors of the bills.

Bell said that she’s already regulated and that she hopes the allegations against her will not be used to push state regulations, too.

“We do everything by the book,” she said.

Bell posted bail Tuesday and was released from jail without conditions, which means she can still operate her business. If convicted, she could face up to two years in prison for each count. Her next court appearance is scheduled for July 23.

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